Rebecca Hall is the protagonist of The listenersa five-episode TV series directed by Janicza Bravo (Poker face, Zola) for the BBC, which will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.
In the adaptation of Canadian author Jordan Tannahill's novel of the same name, Hall plays Claire, a popular teacher who begins to hear a low hum that no one else around her can hear.
The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal a first clip from the series, produced by Element Pictures (Normal people), which the BBC will broadcast in the UK later this year.
In the clip, Claire's life begins to unravel as she struggles to make sense of the sound.
The show follows Claire as the “seemingly innocuous noise gradually upsets the balance of her life, increasing tension between her and her husband, Paul, and daughter, Ashley,” according to a synopsis for the show. “But despite numerous doctors, no obvious source or medical cause can be found. When she discovers that one of her students, Kyle, can also hear the sound, the two form an unlikely and close friendship. Finding themselves increasingly isolated from their families, friends and colleagues, they join a motley crew of neighbors, led by a charismatic couple, Jo and Omar, who also claim to be able to hear what they call The Hum, but believe it may be a gift, heard only by 'a select few.'”
Episodes 1 and 2 will screen at TIFF.
“Adaptation The listeners It was an opportunity to work with some of the greatest artists in our industry: Janicza Bravo, Rebecca Hall, the team at Element Pictures, to name a few,” said Tannahill DAY“It was also an opportunity to deepen my relationship with a story that I had already spent several years with at that point.”
He is open to more possible TV or film versions of his works. “If I found a story that had a similar hold on me, and the right team of collaborators, then yes, I would consider another adaptation for the screen,” he says.
Good he said DAY of having to make key audio decisions for the series. “We had a variety of sounds on set that we worked with. Our sound designer created a library,” he explained. “Some were high-pitched and piercing, some were cavernous and guttural.”
And she shared, “Having an experience that others can't relate to is not foreign to me. While I don't hear a sound that others can't hear, I'm certainly walking a path that most can't see. Claire's experience is my own. I'm in a body that encounters surreality pretty consistently.”
Watch the exclusive clip for The listeners under.